Kudos to John Hardy on their stunning new fall collections for 2009. Lead designer Guy Bedarida has show his creative genius once again. All of the new nature inspired designs are impressive, but what captured our hearts the most was the fact that 60 percent of all John Hardy jewelry is manufactured with recycled sterling silver. One can only help but wonder if they are going to be the first big brand to utilize 100% recycled metals? This is the type of sweeping change that is needed in the jewelry business. However, I think the current recession has definitely slowed down our industry’s shift to more socially responsible practices. The many manufacturers that I talk to are most concerned about keeping their head above water and who can blame them. Anyways, I just think it is phenomenal that a big name like Hardy is talking about how they use recycled precious metals. They have they power to advertise and influence change, hopefully more big jewelry designers will follow John Hardy’s lead. Wouldn’t it be great if a wedding band company like Artcarved launched a major campaign for recycled precious metal bands? Who knows, maybe it could happen sooner than we think.
Officially launching February 1st, Precious Earth takes a step forward from the cadre of ethical jewelers with the launch of a line dedicated to transparency and consciousness in the jewelry trade. Sourcing diamonds endorsed by Team Namibia, Precious Earth has designed a collection with beneficiated diamonds from Africa, a natural resource in Namibia and a trade vital to Africa. The Namibian diamonds are cut and polished by the locals. Precious Earth advocates for Team Namibias role in empowering the local population through benefication.
Renowned designer Robert Pelliccia designed the Endangered Species collection that marks the launch of Precious Earth.
Our ethos is to support social responsibility and sustainable jewelry practices in the industry by sourcing recycled and renewable metals from a highly reputable source providing certification, and supporting economic independence for the local people of Namibia by sourcing our diamonds from the region. Precious Earth furthers our commitment by proudly donating 5% of GROSS profits from the collection to a charity that raises awareness and provides education and healthcare to local populations in Africa.
Over the years I have come to have a tremendous amount of respect for a man name Roy H. Williams. Roy is know as the “Wizard of Ads” and for good reason. His out of the box thinking and gutsy writing style really do surprise broca and leave a lasting impression on the reader. One of the best ways you can get a sample of of his work is to sign up for his Monday Morning Memo on mondaymorningmemo.com. In his December 8th memo Roy wrote about the trends to watch in 2009. Here they are:
1. Frivolous purchases are being delayed.
We’re wearing our clothes longer and keeping the cars we’ve got. We’ll buy what we need, but only after asking whether we really need it.
2. We’re buying fewer things, but better things.
More attention is being paid to quality. Only the poorest are choosing by price alone. Information is king. Details are power. This is good news for makers of better products.
3.“Sustainable” is a concept that will grow in power for at least 10 years.
The lifestyle of the 80’s and 90’s was “upwardly mobile” and its leaders were marked by “conspicuous consumption.” But the chosen lifestyle of the next generation will be “sustainable,” meaning that we’ll strive to live within our means and embrace practices that are environmentally responsible.
Of course we are very excited about number three because that is what this blog is all about and we really hope this concept is going to be embraced the way Roy thinks it will. If Roy’s past success in predicting trends holds true for this one, the jewelry business will need to dramatically change the way we do business and be more socially responsible if we want to thrive. In our opinion, those who will succeed will be using recycled metals, sourcing fair trade gemstones and embracing beneficiated diamonds.
Diamond are cut in many locations across the globe including New York, Israel, China, Belgium and India just to name a few. The ironic thing is that none of the cutting centers that I’ve named are located where diamonds are a natural resource. There are no diamond mines in Antwerp or Tel Aviv and yet these cities have economies that have developed tremendously because of diamonds. I feel it is only logical and appropriate that the same economic opportunities be provided for the people of African countries like Namibia and Botswana. These are countries where diamonds are a natural resource and it is time for the diamond companies to truly push beneficiation and show the world they are serious about giving back. In order for this dream to come to life, demand for Botswana Diamonds and Namibian Diamonds needs to be created. We are calling on all jewelers and manufacturers to come up with creative ways to tell this story and bring the magic of African diamonds to life. We can teach a transferable skill, create jobs, enhance health care by supporting local African diamond cutting factories and empower the people where diamonds are a natural resource. The time for change is now and let’s push DeBeers not to postpone the 2009 transition of its aggregation activities to Botswana.
Days Jewelers celebrated the launch of “Made in Botswana” diamonds in its new store in Portland Maine, on November 15. According to the company that manufacture “Made in Botswana” diamonds, MotiGanz, this marks the first time that diamonds that have been sourced and polished in Botswana are available for sale in the United States. We salute Day’s Jewelers for having the foresight to recognize beneficiation as the future of the diamonds business worldwide.
Harmony Metals is the brand name for Hoover and Strong’s 100% recycled gold, platinum, palladium and sterling silver. They do not buy their metals from mining companies.
Harmon Metals concept is one of the most brilliant marketing ideas to hit our industry in a very long time. It carries a powerful environmental message and has the potential to make people feel better about making a fine jewelry purchase. Harmony allows jewelers and jewelry designers to source precious metal casting grain from Hoover and Strong and manufacture fine jewelry in a more environmentally friendly way. Imagine, getting enough gold from the ground to make one ring creates five tons of environmental waste!
We hope that recycled metals, like Harmony, will be be the new standard in jewelry production for all manufacturers and jewelry designers. Stayed tuned to the Sustainable Jewelry blog where we will be shining the spotlight on hot new jewelry designs using recycled precious metals.
So what exactly is beneficiation? In simple terms, it is extracting the valuable minerals from the waste in mining operations. Recently, the term beneficiation has taken on a deeper meaning when used in regards to the diamond industry. Beneficiation, in this instance, refers to the idea that diamonds should be cut in the countries where they are found to maximize the economic benefit to the local communities(This is exactly what is going on with Namibian Diamonds).To read a great article on the subject, check out Fran Goldstein’s phenomenal article on beneficiation.
According to a recent press release Birks and Mayors Inc. has entered into an agreement to market and sell Botswana Diamonds in North America. We feel this is the beginning of a paradigm shift of how diamonds will be sourced in the future. The more the buying public becomes aware of the the good that diamonds from Botswana and Namibia can do for the local communities in Africa, the better they will feel about their diamond purchases. There is a fantastic video on this very subject at the Diamonds from Botswana blog. This is going to do great things for the diamond industry and local communities in Africa as well. Let’s hope more jewelers embrace this concept of positive change!
Walmart Launches Sustainable Jewelry Collection - In mid July, Walmart announced the launch of the Love, Earth collection of fine jewelry at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores. This sustainable jewelry collection gives customers the ability to trace the item they have purchased all the way mine the gold came from! All they have to go is go online to www.loveearthinfo.com and enter the item number of their Love, Earth piece. According to the official press release this is the first in a series of steps Walmart is taking to have all of their gold, silver and diamonds come from companies that act in an environmentally sound and socially responsible manner.
Coming soon to jeweler near you?
Love, Earth has cleared the way for a whole new array of socially responsible products from jewelry manufacturers. Look for 2009 to be a break out year for jewelers to “go green”.
It would be very hard to label most finished jewelry products produced today as “ethical” but there is hope on the horizon. There are a growing number of companies in our industry that are instituting strong programs to ensure their products are being produced in a socially responsible manner. Two that come to mind immediately are Hoover & Strong and Columbia Gem House in Vancouver Washington. Hoover and Strong is producing a brand of metals and jewelry called Harmony. All Harmony jewelry is made from 100% recycled precious metals and processed in an environmentally responsible way according to the company. And from what we hear, their paper trail is pretty darn strong. Stay tuned to the sustainable jewelry blog for full company profiles on both Columbia Gem House and Hoover and Strong!
